Archery
by Kurai Hitokiri
Summary: Link's smart comments lead Zelda to challenge him to a little archery contest. Who will win?


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, or any of these characters.

**Author's Note:** Hiya, name's Kurai Hitokiri and I'm bringing you another oneshot. Anyway, I thought this up when I was looking at my dog. Even though this has nothing to do with dogs, I just get ideas when I do random stuff. Anyway, read on and decide whether you like my writing or not.

**Archery**

By Kurai Hitokiri

------------

When you think of the word Princess, you probably think of a dainty, composed woman, regal in stance, and a person that plays the role of damsel in distress. I, Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, am by no means a 'Damsel in Distress.'

Yes, I am composed in emotion and know a great deal of politics, but I am well able to defend myself from enemies without the help of a hero.

I have fought off Stalfos, Wolfos, and probably any other monster that you may think of, but let me tell you, there is only one fiend that has ever succeeded in making me cry for help. And that is Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo thieves.

One day seven years ago, Ganondorf took over Hyrule, slaughtering all in his way and making me and my attendant Impa run for our lives.

Hyrule was emerged in shadows and monsters freely ate their fill of human flesh. Not a single dreary and painful day went by when I did not think of my beloved Kingdom, long lost to the evils of the world.

Horrid nightmares of torture, carnage, and loss plagued my every waking thought as I trained in the ancient ways of the Sheikah disguised as the man named Sheik. I devoted myself to learning the ways of stealth, magic, and, most importantly, archery.

The way of the Bow and Arrow was crucial in the final battle with Ganondorf, however, my archery training was of no use.

Link of the Kokiri, the Hero of Time, was the one to use the power of the Light Arrows to strike Ganon asunder and send him back to the dark void from whence his twisted soul came. After which, Link refused to return home to his own time, and he came to help settle peace within Hyrule. He acted as the Hero of the people and as my own personal bodyguard, replacing Impa's place by my side.

I find that Link is a most humble man… when he isn't unintentionally boasting about his skill in the arts of war.

------------

A few months after the defeat of Ganondorf, I found myself walking through the bright, sunlit halls of the newly rebuilt Hyrule castle.

The white marble floor clicked under my heels with every step I took. That day I was hiding from the servants, who were trying to elaborately deck me in the finest clothing. I particularly do not enjoy dressing in the finest fashions when my people are still recovering from the heinous years of rule under the Gerudo King.

Paperwork… signing treaties with other nations… looking at potential suitors for marriage... that was all I had done for the past months. I had hardly had any alone time to myself. But… I was finding that being alone was quite boring. I needed someone carefree and fun to be with, someone that I wouldn't need to use manners with. My mind instantly ruled out the only choice: Link.

"Where would you be right now, Link…?" I said to myself as I stood near a majestic pillar of stone. Link was a dedicated young man whonever allowed his skills to dull. there would only be one place that he would spend his spare time while he wasn't guarding me: the training ground.

I turned in the opposite direction and pushed through a pair of large doors out into the courtyard. The sky was cloudless and as blue and beautiful as Link's own, deep, understanding eyes. The sun was high in the sky, looking over the land of Hyrule with a kind face and greeting those awakening with a spectacular sight. Truly it was a wonderful day to be outside!

I stealthily made my way to the training grounds, skillfully creeping past the searching servants, who were calling out my name. No doubt to put me into another rib breaking corset that would steal my breath away, despite making me look much thinner.

It was easy to spot Link among the many training courses, since he was wearing a tunic of spun gold in place of his usual green tunic. And even more surprisingly, he lacked his usual green cap that he wore on his dirty blonde locks. It was awkward to see him without it on, almost as though he wasn't Link anymore.

The young Hero stood at the archery field, his bow poised in his powerful hands as he skillfully shot an arrow into the target far down the range.

I smiled. Only Link would work on his skills on a day off of his own free will. He was constantly trying to improve his already unmatched skills. That alone showed his dedication to Hyrule's protection.

Well, we would see if he was good enough to beat the Princess of Hyrule in a contest of archery, now wouldn't we?

I snapped my fingers and willed my bow to appear in my hands. As my elegant bow appeared in my hands, I willed an arrow to appear as well.

Sneaking behind Link, I poised my bow in my delicate, small hands and closed an eye as I aimed my arrow at the target that Link himself was aiming at. An easy target, I was able to quickly zero in on the bull's eye and release the arrow.

It soared clear through the air and buried itself in the center of the target, as I had intended to.

Link, startled to see an arrow appearing in his intended target, turned and frowned upon seeing who had so rudely intruded in his time.

"Your highness." The Hero's messy blonde hair was braided back into a ponytail. The expression in his blue eyes changed from one of sheer disappointment to one of light amusement. "What is the delicate, prideful Princess of Hyrule doing out here playing with a bow and arrow when she should be choosing an outfit for her latest appearance in the neighboring Kingdom of Emmaus?"

Oh, I would show him who was better equipped in a battle of wits. "What is the Hero of Time doing out of his usual garb, shooting arrows at a target when he should be in the libraries, tutoring himself on etiquette for the ball held in Emmaus? We wouldn't want you to look like an inconsiderate ape, now would we?"

Link simply smiled. His ego was much too large for a comment like that to hurt him. "You are very sharp-tongued, Your Majesty."

"I must be if I am dealing with a boastful man such as you, Hero," I replied, looking coolly into his eyes.

Link's expression went briefly from amused to disgusted, then back again as he shook his shaggy head. "Ah, I hate when you call me such, Highness. It reminds me of when you were Sheik, and you never used my name. It also reminds me of what a bore you are."

That comment made me loose control of what I was doing, and I found my face going red in anger as Link simply stared on with a smile playing in his eyes. "I am not a bore, Link."

"Aye, that is what you say, but you truly are, Highness. When we were children, I remember all the fun times we had together, playing in the allies and spending time laughing at the idiocies of others. Now when I look at you, I no longer see an ounce of fun. Just a person who sits around reading papers all day looking important, not honing their abilities in any art," Link replied.

The man knew which buttons to press to make me angry, and I was unfortunately falling for every bit of his little trick.

I strode up to him, staring up at his smug face. Narrowing my eyes, I spoke, my voice a hiss. "Ready your bow, Sir Link, and we shall see who is the master and who is the student."

Link's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise. "An archery contest, My Lady?"

"Yes, Sir Link… Unless you are too scared to engage in such activity with a woman," I said bitterly. I wouldn't let _him_ get the best of me. I would show him with my own skill that I was not just a woman that sat in the castle all day doing paperwork.

"No, not at all, My Lady. Though I must warn you that I too have improved greatly," Link said, smiling cunningly at me. Turning his head, he pointed to a target far down range. "Aim at that, Highness, and let us see if you can hit the center. The first to do so wins."

"An arrow if you would, Sir Link," I asked.

Link put his hand to the quiver on his back and slid out an arrow, handing it to me with a smirk on his face. "Here, Princess."

I closed one eye in concentration and readied the bow and arrow. Making sure that I had a perfect target, I loosed the arrow from my grip. It hit its target dead center.

"Well, well, Sir Link. It appears that I have made the requirements the first time around," I said, smiling charmingly.

"Ah, a good shot, My Lady. It most certainly shows that you are good," Link nodded, getting into position. Without a second's thought, he loosed the arrow and it too hit dead center, breaking my arrow in half.

Curse the man, he was better than I had anticipated.

As he lowered the bow, the man smiled in victory. "But not good enough, my Lady."

"The competition is not over yet, Link." I looked around for an adequate target, and I found one: a wooden pole that stood high up on the castle's walls. I wasn't even sure if I could reach such a target, with all my training and skill. "There, Sir Link, whomever hits the pole first wins."

"Then it appears that I have already won," Link said, smiling. Gods, how that smile did get on my nerves! Whenever he was victorious, Link would crack such a smile, and it would send the opponent into a deep anger. Unfortunately at the time, I was no exception.

In fact, I probably got angrier than most would at such a smile.

"Do not be so smug, Sir Link," I muttered, taking aim at the pole. The anger was pulsing through my veins like blood, causing my arms to shake with silent rage. I couldn't miss this shot, or else Link would hold it over me for the rest of my days!

"I would not shake so, Princess. You will certainly miss if it continues," Link called out to me.

What I wouldn't give to bury my fist in his handsome face at that moment!

Gradually the rage faded and I could steadily aim. I prayed to the Goddesses not to make my shot miss… And loosed the arrow.

It whizzed madly through the air, seeking to bury itself in its target. However, it would never do so.

Very narrowly, it buzzed past the pole and was lost into the clear blue sky.

"It was close, My Lady," Link said, clapping his hands.

I turned to see that Link was looking at me not in humor, but with his face firmly set in admiration. Had I misjudged his personality, because I certainly thought that he would be laughing at me.

"I had to practice very much before I could make such a shot," Link said, readying his bow, then loosing his arrow. The pole rumbled from impact as the arrow buried itself deep within. "In fact, it took me eight months to finally figure out how to make such a shot. Even now it is difficult. To see you narrowly make such a shot after being out of practice for months means that you truly are a master. If you were to warm up a few days, I believe you could make it quite easily."

"Thank you for your compliment, Sir Link," I said, shaken. The man was actually praising my archery skills? This was very different from the Link I had gotten to know for the past few months here at the castle.

A warm, kind smile stretched across Link's rugged and handsome face. It wasn't the smug smirk that usually found its way onto his lips. It was a true smile, and a very beautiful one at that.

Then as suddenly as it came, the smile disappeared, replaced with the same smirk as before. Inwardly I groaned.

"Well, well, Princess, don't I get a prize?"

"Dear Link, your prize is knowing that you're actually better than the Princess of Hyrule at something. But not for long," I replied, smiling. I turned to proceed indoors, hearing Link clattering after me.

"I'll always be better than Your Highness at archery, and any other thing in warfare," Link replied.

"That is what you believe, Sir Link," I said.

For a moment, there was silence between us when Link suddenly grinned.

"For Heaven's Sakes, Hero! What are you smiling about?"

"Say Princess, why were you outside with me?" Link asked, still grinning. "I think that you might have a bit of a crush on me, not that I can blame you."

I simply continued on, frowning at him. "If you must know, you are my bodyguard, and I am supposed to be on Castle Grounds with you. At the same time I get the amusing company."

Link's smirk instantly died and was replaced with one of irritation. "Well excuuuuuse me, Princess. I'm not a free entertainment system. I think I deserve a few rupees for playing Princess Guard on my day off!"

"Your payment was getting to play a contest against the Princess of Hyrule, now if you would excuse me, Sir Link…" I said, curtsying and turning into my room.

Before I could walk shut the door fully, Link grabbed the handle of the door, his warm hand upon my own. However, I don't think that he was aware of what he was doing, or how he was making color rise to my cheeks.

The kind, warm smile returned again. "I do hope that I would be able to get paid with your company on my day off again, Your Highness." He was so close to me, all I could feel was my heart pounding in my chest. My whole body was numb at his touch.

"We shall see, Sir Link. I did find your company was very pleasant," I began, managing to fight the horrendous blush from my cheeks. "Now, if you would excuse me, I must immediately tend to my duties. I will see you tomorrow."

"Very well," Link replied, slowly pulling his hand from mine. Link gave me a deep, respectful bow before turning and walking casually down the hall to go about his own business.

After a while, I was able to pull myself together and finally enter my room. The servants, to my surprise, immediately rushed to my aid and began dressing me.

"Where have you been, Highness? You must look absolutely perfect for the ball, and these fittings must be done as soon as possible!" a woman servant scolded as she began to take measurements.

"Oh… I've been…" I muttered. In the end, I couldn't finish my sentence. Thoughts of Link's warm hand and beautiful smile replayed over and over in my mind. Yes, I do believe that I shall accompany him more often. Perhaps we can be a bit more than Princess and bodyguard… maybe good friends… or something beyond that.

------------

**Author's Note:** Well that was fun to write. Anyway, please 1.) Read 2.) Review. Any comments aregreatly appreciated and contribute to improving my writing.


End file.
